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A review by reads_vicariously
Paradise Club by Tim Meyer
4.0
This is definitely one of those books you read in a single day (and preferably at the beach): short chapters, relentless action, a constant switching of perspectives to keep things interesting, and loads of hair-raising tension mixed with brutal violence. The premise is compelling (hundreds of unwitting guests unwillingly placed in a death match game versus a gang of bloodthirsty maniacs), and I'm pleased to report the author pulls it off with all the pulse-pounding suspense and brutal kill scenes that you'd hope for.
It felt like a beautiful mashup of Battle Royale, Cabin in the Woods, and Dead by Daylight. I like that the killers each had their own "persona" they adopted when the game started, making them seem like boss battles in a video game. I also like that we got chapters from the perspectives of the guys running the game, as well as a host of other characters. And the genre shift in the final act is just wonderful. I know Tim writes in a variety of horror genres, but for some reason I just knew this was going to go into cult/cosmic horror territory (one of his specialties). No more spoilers, but it does and it's GOOD.
I couldn't get enough of this book. I also thought it was really interesting the way it was constructed. From what I understand Tim wrote it in pieces for his Patreon as a sort of a choose-your-own-adventure, meaning he would stop along the way and give various options and his fans would vote on how the story should progress. I love this type of interactive story telling, and I think it would be cool to see more stuff like it.
It felt like a beautiful mashup of Battle Royale, Cabin in the Woods, and Dead by Daylight. I like that the killers each had their own "persona" they adopted when the game started, making them seem like boss battles in a video game. I also like that we got chapters from the perspectives of the guys running the game, as well as a host of other characters. And the genre shift in the final act is just wonderful. I know Tim writes in a variety of horror genres, but for some reason I just knew this was going to go into cult/cosmic horror territory (one of his specialties). No more spoilers, but it does and it's GOOD.
I couldn't get enough of this book. I also thought it was really interesting the way it was constructed. From what I understand Tim wrote it in pieces for his Patreon as a sort of a choose-your-own-adventure, meaning he would stop along the way and give various options and his fans would vote on how the story should progress. I love this type of interactive story telling, and I think it would be cool to see more stuff like it.